Researchers have found that embarrassment is adaptive. We feel it more when we make mistakes in front of people who are close to us and less in front of outsiders.
(This is because we identify with our social groups and value their opinions over others, which allows embarrassment to elicit forgiveness and advertise trustworthiness, ultimately helping us repair relationships.)
So to learn about human nature, Reddit user Jotazepp decided to utilize the anonymity of the internet and asked everyone else on the platform to share the most sheepish things the world would find out if they were to suddenly pass away.
Let the discussion be a reminder to clear your browsing history!
We contacted Jotazepp, and the Redditor was kind enough to have a little chat with us.
"I got the idea for the post when I was watching some crime content (I don't remember the exact case, but this applies to many of them) where a significant other discovers the body of their loved one," Jotazepp told Bored Panda.
"So I thought, 'My bathroom is so filthy, what if I die and someone encounters this mess? How embarrassing!'"
#3
I'm female, and a male ex of mine loves dressing up in women's clothes, especially lacy underwear, silky nighties etc. He was really scared he was going to die and his family would find all this stuff. So he keeps it in an old suitcase of mine with my name, flight tags and address on it. So it looks like I've left it at his house. I personally think they'll still be surprised as I don't wear anything fancy (just jeans, black t shirts, etc), but it keeps him happy.
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140points
#5
To do lists from when I've been depressed with stuff like "take a shower" and "go outside" and mostly not crossed off.
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137points
After getting familiar with the discussion, Jotazepp said, "A lot of people seem to be afraid of someone finding their kinky stuff (taste in pornography, sex toys, etc). Also, a recurring answer with which I agree was 'My search history.'"
Personally, the Redditor isn't fond of the emotion. "I think embarrassment is a negative feeling because it makes me feel uncomfortable."
And it's understandable. Who wouldn't prefer all of our social interactions to proceed smoothly? We don't want to offend our colleagues or look like oafs to our crushes.
#6
I still play with G.I. Joe’s and ninja turtles in the bathtub and I’m 42 years old.
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137points
#7
How much I’m lacking money on my bank account… And how terrible I’ve considered myself all my life 😂
Oh and… my darkest habit maybe, I always hated injustice. So sometimes I’m tracking crazy people that are seeking for children on the internet
Making them lose their time, go to false rendez-vous, and scare them so they actually aren’t meeting anyone, except their darkes fear 🤭.
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128points
#9
My 71-year-old single, never married aunt passed away last month. Upon her death, we discovered she was a hoarder. Her house was so cluttered with stuff that there was barely a narrow pathway to walk anywhere inside it.
Had this been discovered while she was alive, it would've been extremely embarrassing for her.
More information: My aunt wouldn't allow anyone in the family in her home during her last 10 years. Her home wasn't always like that. She wasn't found dead in her home. She was taken to the hospital when her sister (my Mom) hadn't heard from her for four days which hadn't happened before. My Mom called the police to check on her and that's when she was found on the floor of her bedroom unable to move and unable to reach her cellphone. Once in the hospital, she refused to allow anyone to retrieve her cellphone from her house. Out of respect for her privacy, no one retrieved it until she passed.
My aunt was loved by everyone who knew her. She was a kind, thoughtful, and generous person. Her secret once exposed did not diminish our love for her one bit.
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121points
#10
I smoke weed. I’m an old lady now. I’ve smoked for 52 years.
104points
#11
I'm kind of known as a geeky academic person in my family and friends. However I write romance stories on one of the online platforms with fake name and have a good following.
They all will be surprised.
97points
#12
I'm a heterosexual female. My search history would not indicate that.
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93points
#13
For years, I've cultivated an idea for a business. It's a joke idea, but my friends and I have had so many funny conversations about it that it suddenly feels like a legit idea.
The business: "Skeletons in Your Closet". You wear a Fitbit-like device, and when you die, I get an alert. I rush to your house and erase all evidence of anything that would embarrass you. By the time your family gets there, your secrets will be safe!
I got this idea when a couple we hang out with jokingly asked me to dispose of their sex toys if they were to die unexpectedly.
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86points
#14
That I've been conducting a covert mission to document and rate every public restroom I've ever visited, complete with cleanliness scores and ambiance evaluations.
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83points
#15
Honestly nothing. I’m that boring. In the autopsy they’d see I have hemorrhoids but besides that not much else.
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82points
#16
We have some *ahem* interesting proclivities in the bedroom, so we already have a pact with each other to get rid of the evidence if one of us goes first. We have a friend who promised to take care of it if we go at the same time.
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81points
#17
To quote Seinfeld…
**JERRY:** Can't you at least die with a little dignity?
**GEORGE:** No I can't. I can't die with dignity. I have no dignity. I want to be the one person who doesn't die with dignity. I live my whole life in shame. Why should I die with dignity?
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74points
#18
Diary-entry-like random notes where I’m venting about certain people / situations. Writing has always been a helpful way for me to process more intense/confusing emotions, but I do worry that if I suddenly die those notes will be found and people who I genuinely cared about in life may then think that this one random journal entry represented “the real way” I actually secretly thought about them in totality. When really it was just a moment and not representative of my whole relationship with them.
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73points
#19
I think I’m scared of anybody reading my diary. For my family (husband, kids, parents) , friends and coworkers I’m a smily and active person. But in reality I’m ALWAYS afraid of life, full of depressive thoughts, constantly fighting to not let my anxiety get the control of my mind knowing most of my life anxiety will win. If someone read what I write they will know that I was actually acting to be a good person when actually I’m a psychiatric case with no solution.
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73points
#20
If you’re reading this worried about someone finding something out- I had a friend who died accidentally from choking himself while pleasuring himself. In an effort to press upon people it wasn’t intentional and in her grief- his mom didn’t care who she told. Nobody else cared either. That’s not what we bring up about him. We’re all just sad he’s gone. Please be careful if that’s your thing, you guys.
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69points